In the centre of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, tucked away in a light industrial unit, close to the back entrance to arguably the town’s best ever pub (the Tut ‘N’ Shive; sadly now a Ladbrokes) and the hidden gem that was Christian’s Bar (again, no longer a hostelry), sits the Black Paw Brewery.Five years old and taking its name from the initials of founder, brewer and genial tour guide, Phil Whitfield, Black Paw supplies cask and bottled beer to a wide range of outlets, from the nearby Auckland Castle to local delis and even the Michelin-starred Raby Hunt restaurant.Even if you’ve stumbled upon the beer range, you’d be hard pushed to pinpoint where the magic happens, so the opportunity to go along to a rare charity brewery tour was too good to miss, especially as it involved the obligatory tasting session.“Tour” is probably a very grand word for such a small operation; more a “meet the brewer” or “get to know us” event was had, and Phil is planning more as the year draws on and the town gets busier with the advent of the Kynren festival in the summer.Black Paw’s offerings include Paw’s Gold (4.0%), a fruity, hoppy light ale that leaves a bitter finish; a very enjoyable Dublin Craft Beer bronze medal-winning porter, Dark Seam (5%); the very smooth, dark ruby Archbishop’s Ale (4.1%); and my personal highlight, a 5% IPA, crafted with Challenger and Cascade (my personal favourite) hops.Quality-wise, you’d be hard to knock what’s on offer, and there are more than just these few available.Inside the brewery, there’s a small bar open on occasion, complete with a range of quality sausage in bun offerings, including the Black Paw Special, made locally with Dark Seam. Keep an eye on the website for opening dates and times.Black Paw Brewery held its open day in aid of the Butterwick Hospice.

PDP says:Somewhat refreshingly, there is no brewer bumph to wade through on this bottle, which merely tells us that the Lemon and Vanilla Oatmeal Stout (actually its name, rather than a description), is, like all Northern Alchemy products, “unfined, unfiltered, natural beer”.What is “unfined”? Well, it takes a keener eye than mine in a beer as dark as this, but, essentially, it means “cloudy”. Certain components in beer making, such as hop oils and yeast, have a “haze” to them, but are beneficial to the flavour and quality. However, certainly in the UK, we are almost bred to reject cloudy beer. Other countries are embracing unfined beers far more quickly than we are, but it’s catching on.Stout is a beer style that reminds me of days before I got into ale in any meaningful way. The word conjures thoughts of a dark, heavy beer, that is sold as a generic, rather than a specific brand. What stout is, is a term for stronger or “stouter” porter, made with roasted malt or roasted barley.Initially, it has a fruitier aroma than you would expect from such a beer, but which ties in with the lemon and vanilla label. However, you can taste the roasted flavours long after you’ve swallowed the beer. Indeed, the strongest flavour hits at the back of the sides of the mouth just as it goes down, and that’s where the taste gets really interesting.Anyway, I sense a beard growing…Put simply, if you’re looking for flavour, something different from the standards on the bar, you’ve got it in this neat, unassuming 330ml bottle.Northern Alchemy’s “lab” is at The Cumberland Arms pub, in Newcastle. Some years ago, I visited the Cumberland, which sits in the thriving cultural centre of Ouseburn. As I walked in, it had a hugely traditional feel, with a room full of older gents having a musical jam on the ground floor. Upstairs, young musicians put on a great performance. The mix of traditional and young creativity matches this stout perfectly.

What the brewer says"Born and raised in Nashville, AmericanaFest is a medium-bodied authentic mixture of handcrafted and heartfelt notes."

PDP says:Whenever I’m travelling, it’s always nice to sample a local beer, but I can’t say I held out much hope of something particularly inspiring in the US. It’s nice to know I can be proved wrong in these things, and I was a number of times during my visit to Tennessee and Indiana.During a tour of the Yazoo brewery on Division, Nashville, I found they have a whole range of great ales. With a fondness for a smoky red, I picked up AmericanaFest Ale – in a bottle that holds a US pint plus 9.4fl oz, equivalent to one and a third imperial pints – and brought it home.AmericanaFest is a one-off, brewed to tie in with the Americana Music Association, so that, along with the strange Tennessee export laws, meant I had to make it count. At least until I’m able to return to Nashville.So, as the brewer’s blurb from the bottle (see above) doesn’t tell us too much, here are my observations and thoughts.AmericanaFest has a strong, pleasant amber colouring, and has a whiff of citrus to it, with hints of sweet marmalade and honey notes.The citrus comes through in the taste, along with a real smokiness that is less sweet than the aroma. It has an IPA style, but not too hop heavy.You certainly won’t be necking this and at 6% and in a bottle of more than 750mls, it’s not a session ale by a long chalk; more a steady-away night in.My personal opinion is that it’s a good night in, at that. You can’t knock the quality of this, nor of the other Yazoo beers I tasted, including a Beer Named Sue, and I’m adding ale to country music in the things to love about Nashville.

What the brewer says“Wild Raven pours dark with a beige head. Aromas are of intense pine hops and sweet roasted malt. Flavours are a complex combination of bitter chocolate with pineapple and orange preceding a long bitter finish.”

PDP says: I can still remember the first time someone posed the question to me: “What does IPA stand for?”It wasn’t that the person was asking me to tell him the answer. He knew the answer. He was merely emphasising his incredulity that the beer I’d been served was an IPA. I can’t say I’d really thought too much about it up until then. To me, the label IPA merely meant that it was a beer characterised by a hoppy taste, something I generally find very nice.In case you are a beer newbie, the answer to his question is “India Pale Ale.”The beer I was drinking at the time was not pale in the slightest.IPAs were first invented by the English to solve a very specific problem. Having colonised India, it took six months to ship goods, including beer, out to the East. The beer was going off. That just wasn’t cricket.A fuller history is available in this article from the Guardian, but in short, the English created IPAs, which lasted much longer, thus surviving the journey and surely diverting a crisis of epic proportions. Eventually, the style pretty much died out until the Americans revived it and then the English copied and started brewing IPAs again.The term IPA, however, is no longer exclusively related to pale ales, and Wild Raven, from Thornbridge Brewery, in Bakewell, is an example of an extreme diversion from that terminology.In terms of this particular beer, the brewer’s own notes, above, are pretty much spot on, though you have to really focus to pick up on the “pineapple and orange”. I can’t say that worries me too much, to be honest. What it is, is a really nice beer, with a mild hoppy aroma and mid to strong hoppy taste with a pleasant lingering aftertaste.Oh, and it comes in 500ml bottles, so it’s not gone in a flash.The history of IPA is an interesting one, but the term India Pale Ale is no longer a true reflection of all that the style represents, but with black IPAs such as this, it’s fair to say that it is alive and kicking in all its shades.

It's worth noting that I picked this up from the Little Leeds Beer House, which is a fantastic little shop in the Corn Exchange, Leeds.

What the brewer says“Beware the beast, scourge of the hills and devourer of sheep. Back then the family trod quietly as he laid his camouflaged head close to their feet. And now we are grown, take heed! For he is as old as the rocks and will wake from his slumber! Cascade hops and dark malts combine to bring this myth alive.”

PDP says:I make no apology for coming to a Black Sheep Brewery beer so early in this blog. This is a new ale, released in 2015, and deserves an audience.The first time I tasted Glug M’Glug, I knew I’d be returning to it. By quick translation of the note above, this is one of three new beers Black Sheep launched as its first 330ml offerings, each with their own tribute to the Theakston family past (the others are Pathmaker and Moose Jaw – reviews one day, I’m sure).This one’s named for a mythical beast that would be mentioned to keep the young Theakston brothers (now in charge of the brewery) from lagging behind on walks on the Yorkshire Dales.Anyway, I digress. Glug has a nice malty taste to it that’s really pleasant and makes it one of those beers that I could drink all day (hypothetically speaking, it is 6.2% after all).It’s a shame I’ve yet to see it in any bars, because it means a lot of people are missing out. If I were looking for a great tasting beer to start a night, then I’d pick this out of a crowd.

As we step into the New Year, I suspect many a resolution has been broken, whilst others tenaciously clutch on to their promises of a healthier lifestyle, the avoidance of procrastination and to stay in and save more money.Personally, I have given up on making big promises of change to myself at this time of year, only for them to fall by the wayside, though my avoidance of clickbait is still going strong. I think the significant adjustments to lifestyle that work best are those made out of genuine self-realisation or need, rather than simply because we are at the turn of the year and “it’s tradition”.One New Year trend, which is becoming a regular fixture is “Dry January”, where people decide that a month’s abstinence from alcohol will make up for the excesses of the festive season.Dry January looks to improve the health of the population, as well as change the drinking culture, where it is found. The potential to lose weight and improve sleep patterns is tempting to many of us, I am sure, but how many people actually maintain a healthier lifestyle, come February 1st, and how many simply return to their own normality?In a recent article, for TheConversation.com, Ian Hamilton, Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of York, wrote: “Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Dry January achieves lasting change in consumption or in our beliefs and behaviour in relation to alcohol.”He also highlighted concerns that for some people with a dependency on alcohol, the shock of a sudden abstinence can have a detrimental effect on their health.Consistent advice from the Government is to have two dry days a week, so perhaps we should be looking at a message of moderation, which, for many, is a much easier leap to make, and a promise that can more feasibly be kept.This also has the potential to allow people to engage with the increasingly popular counter trend, Try January. This is a great opportunity to support local pubs and brewers.For those who are already fans of ale, it’s encouragement to try something new. For others, it’s an “excuse” to take a leap into a whole new world, that is ever expanding with fantastic new beers.It’s been great that Hamilton’s message seems to be getting picked up in regional and national print and broadcast media, as his thoughts have been balanced and reflect a moderate view that can be embraced by everyone. We can enjoy a nice ale and still have a healthy start to the year. What’s more, it can lead on to a whole new level of discovery in 2016.

What the brewer says:"Old Tom is a legend amongst beers. First created by the Robinson family in 1899. It is a wonderfully warming dark strong ale, with aromas of dark fruit and a palate booming with ripe malt and hops, slowly followed by a deep port wine finish. Not surprisingly, Old Tom has won almost every brewing accolade including being voted The World’s Best Ale."

PDP says:Well, if you’re going to start blogging about beer, you might as well start by treating yourself to one that has been hailed as the best in the world. Does it live up to that title?Old Tom smells like that first time you walked into a pub or Workingmen’s Club and hits you like a brick from the first sip.Robinsons calls it The Original and Old Tom carries the World Beer Awards title of The World’s Best Ale as a badge of honour, as well as its SIBA NW Gold Medal from 2014. These people do know what they’re talking about. Since it was first brewed in 1899, it’s safe to say these accolades represent just a fraction of the good things that have been said of Old Tom.The World’s Best? Maybe. If you like that sort of thing. That’s not to be negative, but this real dark ale isn’t something I would make a first choice at the bar or supermarket shelf, purely based upon my own stylistic preferences.It’s one of those quiet night in ales, with an 8.5% ABV that deserves respect (as should be the case with all good beers).The overwhelming taste is one of a strong malt ale and this isn’t a beer on which to start your ale-drinking journey; and it’s definitely not one to pick if you’re going rounds. What Old Tom is, is a beer to go for when you are already comfortable with ales and are looking for something to savour. It’s a good friend on a cold night and an occasional treat.

Author

I’m 42, I don’t have a beard (partly because when I try it is patchy, has gaps, with ginger and grey bits) and don’t take a clipboard to the pub. So, I’m not the stereotypical real ale fan of old, in the style that I was always told to look out for...read more